Gospel Prism

Reading about Steven Curtis Chapman’s daughter’s death led me to this interview with SCC and Fox News.  He writes about a song he wrote for his oldest daughter Emily.  The title of the song is “Cinderella” and the lyrics are as follows:

She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I’m sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders

It’s been a long day
And there’s still work to do
She’s pulling at me
Saying “Dad, I need you

There’s a ball at the castle
And I’ve been invited
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?”

So I danced with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I danced with Cinderella
I don’t wanna miss even one song
‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone…

She says he’s a nice guy and I’d be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of her dress
She says, “Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?”

So I danced with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I danced with Cinderella
I don’t want to miss even one song
‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone

She will be gone

Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned
She says, “Dad, the wedding’s still six months away
But I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?”

So I danced with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I danced with Cinderella
I don’t want to miss even one song
‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone

Men, if you want to have a good cry, download this song and listen to it, read the words, and look at pictures of your daughters!

Seriously though, the song, though it doesn’t have any references to the Lord, is a good reminder to me that I cannot let my time with my beautiful daughters waste away.  Of late I have been spending more time praying for Shua, Charisa, Sarah, Elisabeth, and Jack.   The prayers have made me cherish them more.  I love my son and there will be future blog entries about my son, but this one is for my precious three girls.

One day, Lord willing, I will no longer be bike riding with them, tucking them in, reading them books, holding their hands.  One day, those will only be sweet memories.  But what I will always have, I pray, is a cherishing of the Gospel with them wheerever they are.  I pray that they will love Christ more than life itself.  And if I can leave that legacy with them, however long as I live, or however long as they live (and as SCC personal story reveals, who knows how long that will be for even our daughters), I will be satisfied.

One day, she’ll be gone.  She’ll go to college.  One day, she’ll be dancing with her one flesh.  One day, she will be pushing her own child out of her womb.  I don’t want to waste one day with either of my three, precious gifts.